16 August 2006
Dear Sun Dance Family and Friends,
I have started this letter at least
four times since the finish of the first High Star Sun Eagle
International Sun Dance For Peace held 4 June 2006 through 11
June 2006. Others including Antonette Badami, who danced at
the dance, have reported their experiences and observations
of the dance in previous e-mails to all of you. What I want
to do with this letter is to give you my opinions and observations
of my whole experience about the dance as well as other thoughts
which I have about things in general regarding the life process
in which we all take part. I hope to relate my experiences as
simply as I can think them.
I want to first of all truly thank
my brother Ervin Keeswood for offering the use of his land so
that the dance could happen in the first place. I am deeply
moved and indebted to him and his family, including his brothers,
for committing themselves wholly to this sacred ceremony. From
the beginning of March, when I told him that this was the place
to do our ceremony and finish my vision, to the last day of
the dance, I have recognized and appreciated his gift to me.
His whole-hearted commitment and efforts to begin and maintain
a sacred space and mind for peace and the dance is awesome.
Ervin was truly surprised by my decision to begin the dance
in this year. With the devoted help of David Wilson (a miracle
worker) and his sons, and Ervin’s own brothers and sons,
the dance arbor and the whole dance grounds including kitchen
and camp preparations were completed with ”lightning”
speed. Everything was handled with appropriate decision and
action as we moved through the purification days and subsequently
through the dance. Because everything happened correctly, the
dance itself turned out beautifully.
I also want to thank all who came
to dance as well as those who came to support. Everyone pitched
in as ought to be done. Special thanks go to my brother John
Pruit, Pedro Gonzales, Denean, Antonette Badami, Dave Wilson
(again), James Dumesnil, Doug Bleyle, Geoffrey Maling, and to
all who helped us financially as well as with personal effort.
Though there were the human tendencies to falter in relating
to each other, any potential improprieties were resolved appropriately.
The majority of the experience was peaceful.
The goal of peace which we set for
the dance is showing itself to be a worthy one. This year’s
dance was peaceful, and I am certain we can keep the ceremony
going in the same manner for years to come. The guidelines I
established at the beginning of this dance permitted practices
learned at other sun dances to be used at this sun dance only
if the forms and their usage worked for us at this dance. I
intend to hold to the same rule for the future. We will only
use those things at our dance that work for us. Anything that
doesn't work for us, we will not use. Also, all participants
will be reminded that this dance is not tribal nor politically
based, and so will be open to anyone of any color, belief, or
creed as long as peace is agreed to and maintained openly during
the time spent together at the dance.
I say a simple thank you to all
the singers who came to sing for us, and this goes to the nearly
40 singers who came. Your music was timely and honored by us.
Also, all the music was great! I thank Delvin for thinking of
a song which we introduced to the dance as it came together.
That was cool!
The focus of the High Star Sun Eagle
dance was peace, is peace, and will always be for peace. In
the future, the simple instruction I will give to the dancers
as well as to the supporters is to keep mind on the prayers
brought to the dance, and keep eyes, mouth and hands to self
and not on each other, unless your intention is to extend them
in helping each other. Playful teasing and lightness of conduct
and speech is encouraged. All decisions during the dance for
the dance will remain mine. Though I will ask for advice, the
decisions made will remain mine. Those decisions will always
be made on the side of peace.
I have from the early 60s sung for,
and danced at many sun dances and have watched, with great interest,
the evolution of this sacred dance. Over those years, as the
sun dance was being revived and performed openly, no longer
repressed, I have seen a focus on the revival of the warrior
aspect of the sun dance and not on the true gift the sacred
Canunpa brings to the people, which is peace. In fact, Kablaya,
the first Lakota to have the vision of the sun dance, presented
the dance as the highest expression of the Canunpa. Originally,
it was presented to the warrior as a rebirth ceremony, for the
warrior to be humiliated into submission to the divine.
Through personal sacrifice, the
warrior was forced to lay aside his ego so that he could serve
and protect his people appropriately. In a divine way, he could
then give his life so that the people would live. Thus, after
the warrior was wrestled to the ground, his flesh was physically
pierced, and a leather thong tied to the sun dance Tree was
attached to his body. This connection to the Tree is called
in Lakota, Cekpa, which means in English, Umbilical Cord. By
approaching the Tree four times in prayer, the warrior assented
to a new way of life to serve the people. When his flesh tore
and he broke from the Tree, he broke from his umbilical cord,
signifying his rebirth into the new life, and his willingness
to fulfill the words of whatever prayer he was voicing to Tunkasila.
In the dream vision that I had,
all of the individuals who ever taught me anything about the
sacred Canunpa and the sacred ways of the divine, asked me to
finish this dance. I understand this instruction to mean that
we must return to the true gift of the Canunpa, which is peace.
Maybe, one day when the warrior ways are laid aside in favor
of peace, we can dance without the piercing. Until that day
comes, only we, who are willing, must take the path back to
peace with what we know how to do. With only spoken words and
without the action, peace cannot be. As I stated to the people
at the dance, “Peace. Somebody has to do this. Let it
begin with us.” I pray that our dance be for peace and
remain for peace. We have a good beginning. I know that we will
finish in the coming years in the same way as we have begun,
peacefully.
Not only have we begun a dance for
peace, we have also initiated an international foundation for
peace with the potential to do good things for the people of
the world. We can make this potential real by putting effort
into cooperative arrangements and setting achievable goals of
helping the people. Those of you who are interested in supporting
the High Star – Sun Eagle International Foundation for
Peace can discover ways you can help at www.highstarsuneagle.org,
.net, or .com. We will make every attempt to keep it updated
and current. There are exciting things to look forward to, and
we will accept any support that you can give in whatever form
it is given.
The Spirit supports the virtue of
Nature and all that She gives birth to. My prayer is that we
conduct all of our efforts in support of life and its furtherance,
and in support of the peace that we can bring and leave for
the generations before us yet to come. Every little effort to
that end is a step closer. Every step we take brings that peace
nearer to us and to our kind. May we nurture and sustain that
effort.
In peace,
Howard P. Bad Hand (Wicahpi Wankatuya-High
Star)
